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Showing posts from August, 2018

WHAT IS SPASTICITY

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Spasticity is a muscle control disorder that is characterized by tight or stiff muscles and an inability to control those muscles. Reflexes may persist for too long and may be too strong (hyperactive reflexes). For example, an infant with a hyperactive grasp reflex may keep his or her hand in a tight fist. Causes of Spasticity An imbalance of signals from the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to the muscles can cause Spasticity . In people with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury, this imbalance is often found. Symptoms of Spasticity •       Increased muscle tone •       Overactive reflexes •       Involuntary movements, which may include spasms and clonus •       Pain •       Decreased functional abilities and delayed motor development •       Abnormal posture •       Contractures •       Bone and joint deformities Diagnosing Spasticity In order to diagnose spasticity, the do

WHAT IS SPINAL CORD INJURY

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A damage to the spinal cord is the spinal cord injury . Spinal cord injury is an extremely serious type of physical trauma that’s likely to have a lasting and significant impact on most aspects of daily life. The vertebrae of the spine contain and protects a bundle of nerves and other tissue, called the spinal cord. The vertebrae are the bones stacked on top of each other that make up the spine. The spine contains many nerves, and extends from the brain’s base down the back, ending close to the buttocks. For sending messages from the brain to all parts of the body, the spinal cord is responsible and it also sends messages from the body to the brain. We’re able to recognize pain and move our limbs because of messages sent through the spinal cord. Some or all of these impulses may not be able to get through if the spinal cord sustains an injury. A complete or total loss of sensation and mobility below the injury will be the result. A spinal cord injury closer to the neck will

Stroke Recovery: Tips for the Caregiver

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We should be aware of the medications that have been prescribed to our loved one and their side effects. Ask whether our home should be modified to meet the specific needs of the stroke survivor. Ask a doctor, nurse or therapist to provide written information that explains what occurs after the stroke and during recovery or rehabilitation. If the treatment recommendations are not followed, the survivors who have had one stroke are at high risk of having another one. Be sure that they eat a healthy diet, takes medications as prescribed, exercises, and has regular visits with their physician to help prevent a second stroke. Recovery depends on many different factors: where in the brain the stroke occurred, how much of the brain was affected, caregiver support, the quantity and quality of rehabilitation, the patient’s motivation, and how healthy the survivor was before the stroke.  Avoid comparisons, because every stroke and stroke survivor is unique. During the first th